Michael A. Sawyers
Cumberland Times-News
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LITTLE ORLEANS — If you have a Busch beer and want to head for the mountains, don’t make it a public hilltop in Maryland.
It is now illegal to possess or consume alcoholic beverages on state forests in Maryland, according to Steve Koehn, Maryland state forester.
“There is a department-wide policy banning alcohol on the state’s public lands,” Koehn said Tuesday. “The park service got on board first and we are following suit.”
Koehn said strong drink will still be allowed at two pavilions, one on the Green Ridge and one on the Potomac-Garrett state forests, but only when a proper permit is possessed.
“You would be OK transporting unopened alcohol in your vehicle through a state forest, but if you are at a scenic overlook, for example, and can’t wait to pop open a cold one, you may be in for some trouble if a Natural Resources Police officer sees you,” Koehn said.
Koehn said the policy was adopted because people were having bad camping experiences.
“A family would be camped near another group that was not consuming alcohol in a measured fashion and it would ruin their trip,” he said. “We realize that some people will be annoyed with this regulation, but we believe that the greater good is being served. It’s all about the Maryland public having a positive experience on their lands.”
Bill Schoenadel said the regulation will ruin his business.
Schoenadel runs the unique and popular Bill’s Place, a known watering hole and grocery along the Potomac River at Little Orleans.
“Nobody knew anything about this until just the other day when some signs were seen at the state forest campsites,” Schoenadel said.
“Hunters and fishermen don’t cause problems. They like to go back to their camps at night and sit around a fire and have a few beers while they talk about the day. Those are the people I sell beer to.”
Schoenadel said that before a rails and trails program was established for hikers and bikers along the river, hunters and anglers were his main source of business.
“If the state takes a soft approach to this new regulation, I mean if they don’t bother people at campsites who are quietly having a beer and keeping it out of sight, then it might not be so bad. But there are some rangers who like to write a ticket for everything they can,” he said.
Jim Mullan of the Maryland Wildlife & Heritage Service said that agency too is in the process of drafting similar regulations that would apply to wildlife management areas.
Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.
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